The Archaeological Conservancy

The Archaeological Conservancy
FoundedFounded in 1980
Type501(c)(3) Non-profit Organization
FocusAcquisition and management of significant prehistoric and historic archaeological sites on private land
Location
Area served
United States
Websitehttp://www.americanarchaeology.org

The Archaeological Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that acquires and preserves archaeological sites in the United States. Whereas nearly every other nation protects all archaeological sites within its borders as part of its national patrimony, in the United States archaeological resources on private land are the private property of the landowner.[1] As a result, archaeological sites in the United States are subject to destruction by urban development and sprawl, mechanized agricultural and land-leveling, and commercial looting to fuel the antiquities trade.[2] By the 1970s the extent of archaeological site loss was increasing recognized as a crisis for the scientific study of the nation's past.[2][3][4]

  1. ^ Michel, Mark, "Private Property-National Legacy", The SAA Archaeological Record, May 2003
  2. ^ a b Davis, Hester, "The Crisis in American Archeology", Science 175:267-272 (1972).
  3. ^ McGimsey, Charles, "Archaeology and the Law", American Antiquity, 36:125-126 (1971)
  4. ^ Lipe, William, "A Conservation Model for American Archaeology", In Conservation Archaeology: A Guide for Cultural Resource Management Studies, edited by M. Schiffer and G. Gumerman, pp. 3-18. Academic Press (1977)